MySQL vs MySQL HeatWave
MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line. MySQL HeatWave: Oracle's managed MySQL with an in-memory columnar engine for analytics, lakehouse, ML and vector search.
key differences
- Licensing: MySQL is open source (copyleft) (GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)); MySQL HeatWave is proprietary (Proprietary managed service (MySQL core is GPLv2)).
- MySQL HeatWave is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than MySQL (≤ 10 TB).
- Horizontal scaling is addon in MySQL and native in MySQL HeatWave.
- Only MySQL has online schema changes.
- Only MySQL HeatWave has vector search, materialized views, columnar storage, in-memory.
choose mysql for
- +Web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento)
- +Read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas
- +Sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess
- +E-commerce catalogs and order systems
best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata
choose mysql-heatwave for
- +Real-time dashboards on MySQL application data
- +Consolidating a MySQL OLTP database and a separate warehouse
- +RAG and semantic search over MySQL-resident content
- +Querying data-lake files with MySQL SQL
best at · HTAP, OLTP, OLAP
MySQL vs MySQL HeatWave: FAQ
What is the difference between MySQL and MySQL HeatWave?
MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line. MySQL HeatWave: Oracle's managed MySQL with an in-memory columnar engine for analytics, lakehouse, ML and vector search. Licensing: MySQL is open source (copyleft) (GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)); MySQL HeatWave is proprietary (Proprietary managed service (MySQL core is GPLv2)). MySQL HeatWave is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than MySQL (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is addon in MySQL and native in MySQL HeatWave.
When should I choose MySQL over MySQL HeatWave?
Choose MySQL for web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento); read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas; and sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess. Choose MySQL HeatWave for real-time dashboards on MySQL application data; consolidating a MySQL OLTP database and a separate warehouse; and RAG and semantic search over MySQL-resident content.
Is MySQL or MySQL HeatWave more popular?
MySQL ranks #3 on the WhichDB Score (82.3/100) and MySQL HeatWave ranks #633 (0.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.
Are MySQL and MySQL HeatWave open source?
Yes. MySQL is open source. License: GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise). No. MySQL HeatWave is proprietary, closed-source software.